1. Water – Kill’r Cure
By Stephen Ruback, Professional Inspector [TREC License #6030]
It is estimated that five days without water, and about 60% water. Vegetables and fruits are about
for most people it is the end of the line, life is 90% water. We drink and cook with lots of water.
kaput, finished, over. The opposite is true of the Not only do we pipe water into our houses, we
homes we live in. They don’t respond well to splash it around all the time, using as much as 50
water. Of course it doesn’t help that we build them quarts per person each day. In the “good old days”
out of fungus food [wood] and the prime food with loose, energy inefficient construction, open
source for wood devouring insects [cellulose]. windows and a good breeze it was pretty much
From the main structural components to the wall “easy come, easy go” for most of the water. Today
surfaces, it’s one big potential banquet – just add we seal ’em up tight and hold it all in. That makes
water. Fortunately all those wood destroying the AC system more important than ever for the
organisms need water too. All we have to do is third principle – Keep the water out.
keep the water away from the house and it’s OK.
That’s actually more difficult than it sounds. Just to make it more interesting, we run pipes all
Over 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered with over the house which are kept filled with water
water. that means a lot of evaporation. What goes under 50 psi pressure or more. Then we run some
up must come down, which means lots of rain. more pipes to drain most of it away. Of course we
Water tends to run down hill except when it hits tend to keep all that stuff hidden in walls and under
cracks and crevices where capillary action can suck cabinets so we don’t observe its condition until
it up, like around the edges of roof covering, something breaks. Meanwhile, those little dribbles
windows and doors. Or, it may find some absorbent can add up. That drip, drip, drip is more expensive
material that will soak it up, like siding too close to than most people realize. One drop per second
the roof covering. You can’t be too careful about produces 0.57 gallon per day, 17 gal per month,
construction and design details that direct water off 205 gallons per year. Leaks work two ways. You
your home. Think like water and imagine where get to pay for the wasted water itself, then you get
you would go when surveying your home. How to pay for the damage it causes when you ignore the
often do you do a visual maintenance check around fourth principle – keep the water in.
your home? The first principle is to keep water off.
To keep water from killing your house or your
Once the water flows off, you need somewhere pocketbook, follow the four principles:
for it to go. Without good drainage, it can pile up • Keep water off.
and sneak inside. Dirt around the house sloping • Keep water away.
toward it, low spots, and decorative dams that block • Keep water out.
drainage are all common problems. Lots of • Keep water in.
vegetation close to the walls helps keep them moist
too. Wet spots draw insects. They may come for the Stephen Ruback is a licensed Professional
water and stay for the banquet. It only takes about Inspector; approved by TREC [Texas Real Estate
two days with humidity above 70% to have a full Commission] as a Professional Home Inspection
scale fungus factory. Once inside the walls, Instructor.
moisture can take a long time to leave. Favored In addition, he has earned a BS in engineering
destruction zones are at the bottom of wood or fiber from Trinity University, is an author of several
siding, behind some bushes. By the time you get books and teaches a variety of self empowerment
around to repainting, one blast from the pressure courses through Leisure Learning. For more
washer blowing away rotted wood shows you what information, he can be reached at 832-489-1071.
you have been missing. It’s real easy to forget or
ignore that second principle – keep water away
The third principle can be more insidious. You
don’t do yourself any favors when you close off an
unused room in warm humid weather. Even worse,
an empty house in humid weather, all closed with
the AC off [or set too high] to save electricity, can
sport new wall decoration and smells in a matter of
days.
We are our own worst enemy. The human body
is typically more than half water. Each person
exudes several quarts of water every day. We also
keep dragging wet things inside, like food. Meat is
![Water – Kill’r Cure
By Stephen Ruback, Professional Inspector [TREC License #6030]
It is estimated that five days without water, and about 60% water. Vegetables and fruits are about
for most people it is the end of the line, life is 90% water. We drink and cook with lots of water.
kaput, finished, over. The opposite is true of the Not only do we pipe water into our houses, we
homes we live in. They don’t respond well to splash it around all the time, using as much as 50
water. Of course it doesn’t help that we build them quarts per person each day. In the “good old days”
out of fungus food [wood] and the prime food with loose, energy inefficient construction, open
source for wood devouring insects [cellulose]. windows and a good breeze it was pretty much
From the main structural components to the wall “easy come, easy go” for most of the water. Today
surfaces, it’s one big potential banquet – just add we seal ’em up tight and hold it all in. That makes
water. Fortunately all those wood destroying the AC system more important than ever for the
organisms need water too. All we have to do is third principle – Keep the water out.
keep the water away from the house and it’s OK.
That’s actually more difficult than it sounds. Just to make it more interesting, we run pipes all
Over 75% of the Earth’s surface is covered with over the house which are kept filled with water
water. that means a lot of evaporation. What goes under 50 psi pressure or more. Then we run some
up must come down, which means lots of rain. more pipes to drain most of it away. Of course we
Water tends to run down hill except when it hits tend to keep all that stuff hidden in walls and under
cracks and crevices where capillary action can suck cabinets so we don’t observe its condition until
it up, like around the edges of roof covering, something breaks. Meanwhile, those little dribbles
windows and doors. Or, it may find some absorbent can add up. That drip, drip, drip is more expensive
material that will soak it up, like siding too close to than most people realize. One drop per second
the roof covering. You can’t be too careful about produces 0.57 gallon per day, 17 gal per month,
construction and design details that direct water off 205 gallons per year. Leaks work two ways. You
your home. Think like water and imagine where get to pay for the wasted water itself, then you get
you would go when surveying your home. How to pay for the damage it causes when you ignore the
often do you do a visual maintenance check around fourth principle – keep the water in.
your home? The first principle is to keep water off.
To keep water from killing your house or your
Once the water flows off, you need somewhere pocketbook, follow the four principles:
for it to go. Without good drainage, it can pile up • Keep water off.
and sneak inside. Dirt around the house sloping • Keep water away.
toward it, low spots, and decorative dams that block • Keep water out.
drainage are all common problems. Lots of • Keep water in.
vegetation close to the walls helps keep them moist
too. Wet spots draw insects. They may come for the Stephen Ruback is a licensed Professional
water and stay for the banquet. It only takes about Inspector; approved by TREC [Texas Real Estate
two days with humidity above 70% to have a full Commission] as a Professional Home Inspection
scale fungus factory. Once inside the walls, Instructor.
moisture can take a long time to leave. Favored In addition, he has earned a BS in engineering
destruction zones are at the bottom of wood or fiber from Trinity University, is an author of several
siding, behind some bushes. By the time you get books and teaches a variety of self empowerment
around to repainting, one blast from the pressure courses through Leisure Learning. For more
washer blowing away rotted wood shows you what information, he can be reached at 832-489-1071.
you have been missing. It’s real easy to forget or
ignore that second principle – keep water away
The third principle can be more insidious. You
don’t do yourself any favors when you close off an
unused room in warm humid weather. Even worse,
an empty house in humid weather, all closed with
the AC off [or set too high] to save electricity, can
sport new wall decoration and smells in a matter of
days.
We are our own worst enemy. The human body
is typically more than half water. Each person
exudes several quarts of water every day. We also
keep dragging wet things inside, like food. Meat is](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/waterkillr-110330232038-phpapp01/85/Water-Kill-r-1-320.jpg)
